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Caymanians have a tradition of
hardiness and independence of
spirit, which sustained them through
many difficult years when their home
was sometimes referred to as "the
islands time forgot." In those
years, they earned a livelihood at
sea, either as turtle fishermen or
as crew members on foreign-owned
ships, or by working in North and
Central America. In 1906 more than a
fifth of the population of 5,000 was
estimated to be at sea, and even as
late as the 1950s the government
annual report said that the main
"export" was seamen whose
remittances were the mainstay of the
economy. Since the 1970s the economy
has grown, thanks to tourism and
financial services, in remarkable
fashion, to be a model envied in
other parts of the region. Over the
last 30 years, governments have
pursued policies aimed at developing
the infrastructure, education,
health and social services,
fostering the stability which is an
important factor in the economy’s
continued growth. Life in the Cayman
Islands is a blend of the old and
the new, traditional and modern,
with both British and American
influences. Many Caymanians have
traveled the world as merchant
seamen and others have lived and
worked for long periods in the
United States, Central America,
Canada and Europe. Other, older
residents have never left their
homes.
In 1993, the Legislative Assembly
passed the National Heroes Law,
providing for the declaration of
persons who have rendered
exceptional service, as national
heroes. The first national hero, the
late Executive Council member, Hon.
James (Jim) Manoah Bodden, was named
in 1994. In 1996, the second hero,
Mrs. Sybil Ione McLaughlin, first
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly,
was named. In 2003 the country
celebrated its Quin centennial and
the fourth Monday in January became
a new public holiday, National
Heroes Day. On the holiday's first
celebration, a Wall of Honor was
dedicated in Quin centennial Square
in central George Town. The Wall
bears the names of 500 men and women
who made significant contributions
to the Islands' development. Our
first National Hero, the Hon. James
(Jim) Manoah Bodden, was given this
honor on 28th June 1994. Though Mr.
Jim, as he was known to the
community, passed away in 1988, he
was regarded by his contemporaries
as a visionary who helped to
politically lead Cayman into an era
of progress through modernization.
Mr. Jim was elected to the
Legislative Assembly in 1972, and
served two terms as a member of
Executive Council. As minister
responsible for tourism and
aviation, he was instrumental in
establishing Cayman Airways and
constructing Owens Roberts
International Airport. He was
re-elected to the Legislature in
1984 and served as a backbench MLA
for the rest of his life. Much loved
by all Caymanians, Mr. Jim received
the honor of a state funeral. In a
moving ceremony in September 1994 a
statue bearing his likeness was
dedicated to him at Hero’s Circle,
now known as Heroes Square, across
from the Legislative Assembly. Our
second national hero is Mrs. Sybil
Ione McLaughlin, MBE, JP, who
continues to be an active member of
society and a living example of the
noble qualities towards which
Caymanians, especially our young
women, can aspire. Mrs. McLaughlin
received the country’s highest honor
in 1996, in recognition of her
contribution to Cayman’s
parliamentary development, as well
as to community life. Among her
outstanding achievements was her
appointment as the first Speaker of
the Legislative Assembly in February
1991, where her experience and
resolve were appreciated until her
retirement in 1996. Mrs. McLaughlin
entered government service in 1945,
and was appointed clerk of the
Legislative Assembly in 1959 – the
first woman to hold this post in the
Commonwealth. She served as
secretary of the Cayman Islands
Branch of the Commonwealth
Parliamentary Association from 1965
to 1980. Mrs. McLaughlin also
undertook attachments to the House
of Commons in London, and Stormont
Parliament in Northern Ireland, in
1966, and to the Grenada and
Trinidad and Tobago parliaments in
1971.
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